31 Lakers Facts: An American Professional Basketball Team!
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There is no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful teams in NBA history.
The team history is spectacular, with 17 NBA titles and multiple NBA championship finals to their name. Founded in 1947, their first appearance in the NBA was as the 'Minneapolis Lakers'.
Since the 1960-61 season of the NBA, they have been known as the Los Angeles Lakers. The name 'Lakers' comes from Minnesota, also known as 'the Land of 10,000 Lakes'. Minnesota Lakers became Los Angeles Lakers in 1960 when they moved to Los Angeles.
The team has had some of the best players in NBA league history: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, plus recently the Lakers acquired another great player, Lebron James.
Even in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, the franchise won titles with greats like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Elgin Baylor, and many more amazing players.
In fact, Jerry West's silhouette still features on the NBA's official logo after all these years. Though Los Angeles Lakers have 17 NBA championships, the Lakers struggled and could not win an NBA title between 2010 and 2019.
However, under former head coach Phil Jackson, they won a record five championship titles, and with new head coach Frank Vogel, they recently won in 2020 after a 10-year gap.
If basketball is your choice of sport, you will enjoy reading the following basketball facts below.
Sportsmanship Of The Lakers
The LA Lakers may be one of the top basketball teams in the world but does the team have a good attitude? Read on below to find out more:
The Los Angeles Lakers have never won an NBA sportsmanship award in all these years, and many of their players have even been criticized for bad behavior. However, awards are not the only measure, and the Lakers have at various times shown good sportsmanship as a team and as individuals.
The Lakers compete in the NBA (National Basketball Association) as members of the Western Conference of the Pacific Division. They have had a tough rivalry with the Boston Celtics. The Lakers advanced to the finals six times in the '60s and lost to the Boston Celtics in all of them despite having all-time greats like Elgin Baylor.
Both teams are currently tied, with 17 NBA championships. In 2020, with Lebron James, the Lakers defeated Miami Heat to win the finals. The fans are solidly behind the team in the home games of the Los Angeles Lakers played at the Staples Center. The average regular-season attendance for a Lakers game in 2019/20 was 18,997.
Lakers franchise players were also known as 'Showtime' because of their stylish play, and the team won five NBA championships in nine years with Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Abdul-Jabbar, whom the team acquired in 1975.
Tournaments Of The Lakers
Part of the LA lakers' success is down to the great sportsmanship they have. Read on to find out about some of the team's superstars:
The Los Angeles Lakers always play their famous home games at the Staples Center, a multi-purpose arena in downtown Los Angeles. The fans remain solidly behind the team and crowd to watch all the home games.
The franchise history is rich with some amazingly talented players showcasing their skills to the fans. Kobe Bryant was the Finals MVP in two consecutive years when the Lakers won in 2009 and '10.
However, he missed the 2013/14 games with injuries, and the Lakers had a losing record in this season. Magic Johnson took over as the team's president of basketball operations but was unsuccessful. However, he managed to bring LeBron James to the Lakers during the 2018 off-season.
However, the NBA's official website describes George Mikan as the first superstar in league history. Hall of Fame coach and player George Mikan led the Los Angeles Lakers to their first five NBA titles. Even with these greats, the Lakers advanced to the finals six times in the '60s but lost to the Celtics each time.
The History Of The Lakers
The LA Lakers weren't always called by that name. Find out more fascinating facts about the history of the team below:
The rich history of the famous Los Angeles Lakers commenced with a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems, which was purchased in 1947. When they relocated to Minneapolis, the new team began playing as the Minneapolis Lakers.
Though they started well on the backs of George Mikan and a few other players, the good run did not last.
They were faring badly, and only in 1958 did they get back to their winning ways, with Elgin Baylor and Jerry West.
Later, as the team's general manager, Jerry West would lead the franchise to more success. In 1961, the franchise moved to Los Angeles and became the Los Angeles Lakers, but it was only in 2010 that the LA Lakers honored the Minneapolis Lakers banner by hanging it in the rafters of the Staples Center.
In addition to this, a tribute was then paid to the greats who brought five championships to the franchise before moving to Los Angeles.
Notable Lakers players include 'Big Game James' or James Worthy, who scored scored his only career triple-double in the NBA finals. Another great was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won multiple MVP awards.
From 1979, the Buss family has owned the LA Lakers. Jerry Buss, a real-estate businessman, bought the franchise, and now it is his daughter, Jeanie Buss, who acts as the team president and the head of the Buss Family Trust, which owns the franchise.
Fun Facts About The LA Lakers
Are you enjoying reading about the La Lakers? Well, find out some more things you may not know with these interesting facts:
The Los Angeles Lakers started as the disbanded Detroit Gems and then became the Minneapolis Lakers. From that time to when they became the Los Angeles Lakers, they have been on both sides of winning and losing.
In 1972, they won their sixth NBA title, the first in their new home, Los Angeles.
After that, they won a few times and then had long off-seasons, but the longest lean period in the team's history was between 1991 when Magic Johnson retired, and the team struggled up to 1996 when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal joined the team.
Do you know that in 1996, the Lakers traded Vlade Divac for a player from the Charlotte Hornets? The player was Kobe Bryant, and the rest is history.
With these two superstars and a Hall of Fame coach, Phil Jackson, the team won three titles consecutively between 2000 and 2002. However, the team failed to achieve any glory in the next few years.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a legendary rivalry with the Boston Celtics, and both have won 17 championships each. Another team, the Atlanta Hawks, is having a good season so far and looking good for the postseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have to bring their best game for any match against the Atlanta Hawks to win. However, the Atlanta Hawks have 12 division titles against LA Lakers' 33 division titles.
Since its inception, Los Angeles-based Lakers Franchise has been a great team with superstars in its galaxy. They hold many records like five Lakers have won the NBA MVP award a total of nine times.
The Lakers won a stunning record of 33 consecutive games in one season, which still stands. Much history is associated with the LA Lakers as a franchise and its players as individuals.
We have more exciting information if you have enjoyed reading and learning about the LA Lakers.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Lakers Facts, then why not take a look at Brazil Sports facts or Ancient Greek Sports facts.
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